Extra Walk 274c – Gomshall to Dorking
Length: About 16 km (10 miles). Toughness: 4/10

10:39 Reigate train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:46, East Croydon 10:57), changing at Reigate (arr 11:23, dep 11:35; same platform) for the Reading train, arriving Gomshall at 11:49. Buy a return to Gomshall.

For the return journey Dorking (Main) has Southern services to Victoria at xx:07 & xx:37. In theory there are also South Western Railway Trains to Waterloo departing a few minutes earlier, but these might not be running because of the RMT strike action. Alternatively, there are Great Western trains from Dorking Deepdene to Redhill at around xx:08 & xx:26 if you want to return this way.

This new variation of the Dorking Circular walk is essentially the second half of its fairly strenuous Long Walk option, and as many of those wanting a longer and tougher walk will be on today's Cotswolds outing I thought we'd give this variation its début. It's a late start because trains to Gomshall are only two-hourly but there are three possible lunch pubs in the first 1½ hours. Most of you will be familiar with the Stephan Langton in Friday Street but you might well be tempted a little earlier by The Abinger Hatch in Abinger Common. There are plenty of possible tea places in Dorking.

You'll need to bring the directions from the Dorking Circular walk page. Clicking 'Option c' will significantly reduce the amount printed. T=swc.274.c

Dorking Circular (SWC walk 274)
Length: 16km (10.1 miles), 18.8km (11.6 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10 to 6 out of 10

9.31 train from Victoria (9.37 Clapham Junction, 9.59 Sutton) to Dorking, arriving 10.24.

There is also a 9.24 train from Waterloo (9.33 Clapham Junction, 9.40 Wimbledon), arriving 10.13, if anyone finds that more convenient, but note the information in the next paragraph

So long as you travel both ways by the Victoria trains, then you can buy a cheaper "Southern only" return to Dorking (if available).

For walk directions click here. For GPX file click here.

Autumn colours will probably be past their best by now, but the dribs and drabs lingering on can still be very pretty. This walk has plenty of woods, particularly after lunch on the main (ie slightly longer) walk.

I was initially attracted to it because it offered 9 and 10.6 mile option, but I see on closer inspection that the author has hidden in the small print a sneaky supplement to those distances by starting his measurements from Dorking West, a station with about three trains a day. Starting from Dorking main station bumps the distances up to the ones stated at the top of this post, but at the end of the walk a good 2km or more is through the streets of Dorking, so actually you have more like 8.8 and 10.4 miles to do before nightfall.

You don't have to choose which walk you are doing until after the Wotton Hatch pub, the only lunch stop on the short walk, one of two possible lunch stops on the main walk (the other being the Stephan Langton). If it is a big group and the Wotton Hatch pub is busy, it clearly would be useful if the main walkers ate at the Langton, but you would be advised to ring first to check they have space.

If anyone is feeling really heroic, there is also a 22.6 km (14 mile) long option. You get access to two other pubs on this walk, but will almost certainly finish in the dark.

Dorking High Street has various tea options. Allow 15-20 minutes after them to get to the station.

Trains back are at 26 and 58 past to Victoria and 4 and 34 past to Waterloo, with only minutes difference in journey times. T=3.274

Extra Walk 274 – Dorking Circular
Length: 18¾ km (11.7 miles), with shorter and longer options. Toughness: 6/10

10:02 Dorking train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 10:07, Clapham Jct 10:13, etc), arriving Dorking (Main) at 10:53. If there's a problem with this train and you can get to Clapham Junction by 10:18, you could take a Southern service to Dorking (on a different line), arriving at 11:09.

Dorking (Main) has an hourly South West Train service to Waterloo at xx:07 and Southern services to Victoria at xx:15 & xx:45. There is also an hourly Great Western service from Dorking Deepdene at xx:19 if you want to return this way (changing at Redhill for Victoria).

This walk takes in the area to the west of Dorking, with a long stretch along the chalky hillside of the North Downs in the morning and a more wooded section back across the Greensand Hills in the afternoon. If you want a pub lunch I reckon your best chance is shortly before 1pm at the Wotton Hatch, but all the pubs on the walk route could well be fully booked on a Sunday and you might prefer to have a picnic lunch by the picturesque Hammer Pond at Friday Street. The end of the walk is through Dorking town centre where there are plenty of refreshment places (and although it's likely to be closed by the time you get there, any Americans might like to seek out Mullins Coffee Shop).

You'll need to print the directions from the Dorking Circular Walk page. You can reduce the number of pages printed by clicking the 'Main Walk' option, or print the whole document if you think you might want to switch to the shorter or longer option. T=swc.274

New Walk – Dorking Circular
Length: 17 to 23 km (10.6 to 14.3 miles), depending on options. Toughness: 6 or 8/10

09:31 Horsham train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 09:37, Sutton 09:59, etc), arriving Dorking (Main) at 10:24. From Victoria (but not intermediate stations) you can get a "Southern Only" day return to Dorking which is 20% cheaper than the standard fare, but you'd have to travel out and back on this route.

If it's more convenient you can travel out via East Croydon, changing at Redhill. I won't clutter things up with details of the connections, but the 10:14 from Redhill arrives at Dorking Deepdene at 10:26 so you can meet the others near the start; while the 10:34 arrives at Dorking West at 10:49 (cutting out the first 1½ km), about the time when the others will be passing this station. All three Dorking stations are covered in the Walk Directions.

Dorking (Main) has Southern services to Victoria at xx:26 & xx:58, while South West Trains depart for Waterloo at xx:04 & xx:34. There are also Great Western trains from Dorking Deepdene to Redhill at around xx:08 & xx:26 if you want to return this way.

You might expect a relatively strenuous Dorking walk to be climbing Box Hill, but this new walk takes in the less familiar territory on the other side of the town. There's a brief overlap with one of the Book 1 walks (#42, Holmwood to Gomshall) around Friday Street, but otherwise this one covers new ground for the SWC.

After about an hour you'll have to choose whether to do the Main Walk (with lunch in Wotton or Friday Street) or the Long Walk (with lunch in one of the Abingers or Friday Street, if you can hold out till then). As both sets of directions could do with checking it would be good if there were some walkers on each. [There's also a Short Walk option after the lunch pub in Wotton, although that's intended for shorter days and/or a later start.]

All the possible lunch pubs are relatively up-market and I'm not sure how they'll cope with the sudden arrival of a large group. It would make sense to choose one and call ahead, or to split up and so get feedback from several pubs on each option. The Walk Notes list some of the many tea places in Dorking but most of them are untried so again feedback on any of them would be welcome. There are plenty of other coffee shops, pubs and restaurants which will be competing for your custom if you loiter in the town before returning.

You'll need to print the directions from this New Walk page. As usual you can click one of the Walk Options to reduce the amount printed, if you're sure which one you'll be doing. T=swc.274